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2016 Delmont arson case ends with defendant's death

ARMOUR—A Tabor man awaiting sentencing for his involvement with a 2016 arson case died Tuesday, ending more than three years of criminal prosecution in connection with a Delmont apartment fire.

Alvin Andersen died three hours after being taken into hospice at the age of 77, according to Douglas County State's Attorney Craig Parkhurst. Andersen had entered a no contest plea to aiding and abetting second-degree arson on April 18. Andersen's charges stemmed from a fire in a Delmont apartment building that took place in February 2016.

A year after the fire, now-58-year-old Brian Good was given a six-year prison sentence for first-degree arson and ordered to pay $318,640.45 in restitution to insurance companies. At the time of the fire, Good had been living in the apartment building and working as its handyman, while Andersen had been the building's manager.

Andersen was indicted on Jan. 11, 2018, after statements made during Good's case implicated him as having solicited Good to start the fire. Good stated during a hearing that Andersen had given him gasoline in the days before the fire and had repeatedly asked him to set fire to the apartment.

Parkhurst told The Daily Republic on Wednesday that any restitution Andersen would have been ordered to pay for the fire is currently involved in a civil case filed by Andersen's son.

Andersen would have been 78 at his sentencing hearing, which was scheduled to take place on July 11.